Garbage article suggests that people supporting Bernie over Hillary is misogyny and sexism

[gobears10]

Link to article: http://qz.com/529242/why-do-americans-think-that-bernie-sanders-is-more-progressive-than-hillary-clinton/

Here's an excerpt:

Democrats would be loathe to admit it, but progressive mania for Bernie Sanders suggests sexism in their midst.

The Vermont senator has been cast as the “progressive alternative” to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Portrayed as a “a messiah on the left” and a “liberal icon,” Sanders has encouraged this perspective in his strident rhetoric. At the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner in Iowa on Oct. 24, Sanders pointedly laid claim to the progressive mantle, noting Clinton’s late arrival at liberal positions on trade, the Keystone oil pipeline and gay rights.

But, speaking as someone who’s impatient to see a woman in the White House, Sanders’ easy acquisition of the “progressive alternative” tag is disheartening and a little suspect. While Sanders does have a more left-leaning economic record than Clinton, she has a record he can’t match on gender equality.

Sanders can only unequivocally claim the be the progressive choice in the Democratic primary if voters prioritize a left-wing economic agenda over gender equality...

Progressive apathy towards the historical possibilities of a Clinton presidency reflects a tendency to downplay the impact of gender inequality. It is easier, even for progressives, to dismiss sexism precisely because this fight is often more personal, and affects more private actions, than the fight against racism.

It may be uncomfortable for leftwing Sanders supporters to realise that their candidate benefits from sexism. But it would be churlish to insist that the groundswell of mainstream support for Sanders has nothing to do with a reluctance to elect a woman.

Let’s not kid ourselves: Sexism pervades every area of US politics. Of course, Sanders supporters can be committed to gender equality and simply choose to prioritize his economic agenda. Others, however, look past that choice and simply find it easier to vote for a male nominee. But that’s not progressive. That’s patriarchy.

This is such a garbage and nonsense article. Bernie Sanders on the policy substance has consistently been pro women. Hillary Clinton supported the 1996 welfare reforms that hurt poor women of color. Until recently, Hillary Clinton didn't think paid maternity leave was politically feasible in the U.S.

Also, most early Bernie Sanders supporters were Elizabeth Warren supporters. The progressive left specifically wanted her to run against Hillary. Bernie was the consolation prize to the left. If Elizabeth Warren got in the race instead of Bernie, the vast majority of people people who support Bernie now would have backed Elizabeth Warren, and enthusiastically so. There was no strong, broad based constituency for Sanders before he jumped in, while there was for Warren, because people just like her as a person. I'd have loved to have supported Elizabeth Warren for POTUS if she ran.

Also, the piece seems like a desperate attempt to guilt trip you into voting for Hillary. Stupid.

Such a crap article, a lot of people are more progressive than Hillary. Hillary supported unconstitutional institutional homophobia, unconstitutional warrantless mass surveillance, the illegal invasion of Iraq, and an unconstitutional bill that would have made burning the America flag a felony; I don't understand why people don't think she is a flaming liberal.

[gobears10]

1. wrt immigration

Also, the article completely misrepresents Sanders' views on immigration. Sanders is pro-immigration. He supports a pathway to citizenship for current undocumented workers in the U.S. He is also the son of an immigrant from Poland (his dad's family got killed in the Holocaust), and Bernie fully supports legal, regulated immigration. Bernie said at a USHCC Q&A session that legal immigration is what makes America great, and that immigrants built our country.

Bernie said one of the virtues of America is that we have people coming from all over the world with their own particular skills and ideas, something that makes the U.S. a unique country, something we should be very proud of. He absolutely does not think legal immigration should be restricted, and wants to continue welcoming immigrants. Bernie agrees that immigrants make America more American. Bernie Sanders, also unlike Hillary, wanted to let the Central American refugee children of last year stay in the U.S.

Bernie is against completely open borders, a completely porous border, which no candidate for POTUS is in favor of, and would be a stupid idea to have for countries with a welfare state. What Bernie's against is the notion of deregulating the borders, allowing people to come in without any avenue to actual citizenship, and then watching as their presence simultaneously depresses wages and job markets for citizens and also harms the guest workers by keeping them as a perpetual slave laboring underclass. It harms them, it harms us, and the only people who profit from it in the long run are the de facto servant owners.

That is why Bernie is critical of the H-1B visa program, in which high-skilled guest workers aren't guaranteed a path to a Green Card or to citizenship if the employer doesn't choose to sponsor them in the end. But Bernie absolutely supports people who want to immigrate to the U.S. through proper legal channels. He doesn't think immigration at large takes away native jobs, or depresses wages, but he's specifically critical of the H-1B program. He opposed the 2007 immigration bill because it expanded the H-1B program way too much. Bernie was fine with the 2013 comprehensive immigration bill that provided a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants b/c its guest worker provisions weren't as extreme.

The people criticizing Bernie Sanders, or implying that he's somehow anti-immigrant, are complete hacks. Rep. Luis Gutierrez is a complete Hillary goon who said "I don't know if he likes immigrants," a complete smear of Bernie's record. Bernie isn't critical of immigration, nor did he say that overall, legal immigration is bad for the economy, depresses wages, or causes unemployment. He's just specifically critical of certain guest worker programs, not immigration overall. Immigration reform advocates who are "disappointed" by his statements are idiots. This isn't an area on which he's "not progressive." The media will do everything it can to marginalize Bernie, and progressives need to fight back.

Also, let's talk about Hillary. “We’ve got to do several things and I am, you know, adamantly against illegal immigrants,” Hillary Clinton said on the John Gambling Radio Show in 2003. She went on to further say, "but certainly we've got to do more at our borders. And people have to stop employing illegal immigrants. Come up to Westchester, go to Suffolk and Nassau counties, stand in the street corners in Brooklyn or the Bronx – you’re going to see loads of people waiting to get picked up to go do yard work and construction work and domestic work."

Moreover, she sounded like Trump when she sternly advocating to build a wall between the US and Mexico. Here's the source for that: http://nydailynews.com/archives/opinions/border-battler-hillary-build-u-s-mexico-fence-article-1.594388

Ten years ago, a number of political experts said Clinton’s immigration stance was to the right of President George W. Bush and was even referred to as “Pat Buchanan-esque.” Conservatives thought they had an ally in Hillary Clinton on immigration. Here's the source for that: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/13/nyregion/the-evolution-of-hillary-clinton.html

As a U.S. Senator, Hillary Clinton supported the tracking of immigrants, tighter border controls, and identification upon entry and exit of the country.

When she was running in 2007 and 2008, Hillary Clinton took a firm stance against providing driver licenses for undocumented immigrants. Moreover, in her last presidential run, for a long time, she favored a path to legal status for undocumented immigration over a pathway to citizenship.

Hillary Clinton has stated anti-immigration positions as recently as last year as well. On June 17, 2014 Clinton expressed her desire to deport child immigrants from Central America: “We have to send a clear message: Just because your child gets across the border doesn’t mean your child gets to stay,” Clinton said.

Here's more information about that, from a Vox article entitled "Hillary Clinton wants child migrants sent back. Here's what that would look like."

Also, the article glosses over WHY it's important to specifically have single-payer, not just Obamacare. And why tuition-free college is important, without forcing people to work.

[Armstead]

2. Meh. Another blogger.

A self-descrived "weekend writer" who believes that only one thing can be achieved at a time, and that economic justice is a waste of time until there is "gender equity."

Which, if one extends simple logic, translates to "Let's have gender equality by allowing EVERYBODY's wages and standard of living to decline, including women's incomes and standard of living."

[gobears10]

3. exactly

if it were between margaret thatcher and whomever labour ran against her (who were men), should we support thatcher simply because she's a woman?

substantive representation matters much more than descriptive representation in my view. I'm supporting Bernie because his POLICIES are what I like. I love Elizabeth Warren b/c my policy views align with her's. I'm not a fan of Hillary Clinton as much b/c my policy views on a range of issues don't align with her's that well.

[Fawke Em]

4. And, of course there's no place to comment.

I won't spread it around on social media because it's that damn stupid.

[gobears10]

5. sigh.

some people will eat it up